Ars chief Ken Fisher is getting Google Glass—you tell him how to use it

"Cyborg Caesar" was hand-picked by Google to get a pair of Google Glasses.

This is the week that Google's "Project Glass" team is selecting who gets a pair of Google Glasses before they go on sale to the general public.

Many of the early winners had their invitations rescinded because Google (accidentally?) chose applicants with proposals such as "I'd cut a bitch!" and "I would promise not to record/take pictures of my poop, no matter what." We now believe, however, that Google's apparent strategy of picking winners by letting monkeys throw darts at a computer screen has been replaced with something more exhaustive.

As proof, we submit the fact that our own editor-in-chief Ken Fisher got the nod this morning:

We can't promise Ken will do absolutely everything readers suggest, but we want to hear your ideas for the most useful ways he might put Google Glass to work. Oh, hell, just send us your most insane ideas too. (We'll find out in a couple of weeks when Google plans to send the Glasses to contest winners.)

For inspiration, here's a video:

How It Feels [through Glass]

Use the comments to tell us how Ken should use his futuristic glasses! Ken is already planning on exploring how Glass might change the job of being a writer and editor, in a collaborative environment (we collaborate, we really do!). And he's even promising to wear them to the gym (but not in the locker room, of course).

Promoted Comments

-How do they synergise with an actual monitor when you're working at a PC? Can you "shift" part of your work to Glass easily, such as IMs or a document you're referencing? Is it helpful?-Eventually your Glass is going to make someone uncomfortable or angry. How do you deal with it, and how does it affect whatever you were doing/going to do with Glass at the time?-Do you see potential for collaboration with your staff/colleagues? If there were several of you at an event could you share viewpoints or notes in real-time?-Thoughts on the "input problem". Is it different sitting/standing/walking? Working/commuting? Relaxing?-Does the ability to easily share your video experiences change your plans? Do you find yourself trying things or going places you otherwise might not have? Does the novelty wear off?

I'd like to know how distracting it is while trying to drive or do other tasks requiring a lot of attention; there have already been laws proposed to outlaw Glass while driving, so I think a study into just how distracting it is would be good. Otherwise, I'd like to know how useful the interface is out of the box, and how Google's version of "enhanced reality" is supposed to work, if that functionality is there yet. Oh, and if you can, get the version that's supposed to be for people who wear prescription glasses already; I'd like to know how hard it is to use, being that I wear glasses myself.

We need to reinforce the fledgling Ars tradition. I want to see what it looks like to record going down a slip'n'slide wearing them, and what kind of info the HUD can provide you during your journey. Lee did it for science, you can do it for gadgets.

I'll honestly be happy if future wearers will voluntarily turn it off when asked to turn off recording devices, unlike the person in Starbucks. Failing that, I'd actually like to see it in an "average day" situation. Assume the device is a universal, go from the point shortly after getting up (no naughty stuff please ) to right before bed as if the Google Glass was no more than a phone.

I'd especially like how you felt about it while A) eating/drinking/communicating socially, B) driving, C) working at your desk. Do you need to take it off? Does it distract you or bug you? Or can you ignore it as needed? You're the user - how much does it help or hinder you?

We need to reinforce the fledgling Ars tradition. I want to see what it looks like to record going down a slip'n'slide wearing them, and what kind of info the HUD can provide you during your journey. Lee did it for science, you can do it for gadgets.

We need to reinforce the fledgling Ars tradition. I want to see what it looks like to record going down a slip'n'slide wearing them, and what kind of info the HUD can provide you during your journey. Lee did it for science, you can do it for gadgets.

For accuracy it'd have to also be a slip'n'slide with a water repellent coating.

I didn't know they were taking applications, of sorts, until it was all over. Had I known, I would have told them I'd record a dogfight (Maverick/Goose, not Michael Vick) from pilot's perspective and post it on youtube. That could have gotten me a pair of sweet shades. Alas now I'll never know.

I think the most critical question is whether you can use these to do WORK. Can it take dictation? Can you read articles and approve them or send them back with notes? Can you read your email with them? Is the video and still photography good enough to use in articles?

I'd like someone to test just how easy it is to violate people's privacy with them. What happens when you record people's private conversations? Do they notice? Do they ask you to turn it off? Do they ignore you?

I see these things as having serious potential for abuse. I'd like for someone to test the limits of that while still remaining in completely legal territory. Until we see what happens in such cases, it's hard to have an informed conversation about it.

Ride a roller coaster. A really good one. I don't know how you keep them on, but I'm sure you can find a way.

EDIT: This is not the same as you would have with say a GoPro. Why not? Glass is _always_ with you, in theory. So how well it handles "action" activities would be important to know. Do you still need a GoPro for those cases? Or is it a case of "the best camera you own is the one you have with you?"

Here's a few things off the top of my head:FP-FPS -- that's right, First-person First-person shooter. So, wear glass whilst playing some game maybe pulling a walkthrough up on the tiny HUD? What about roller coasters? I was recently at universal with a chest-mounted gopro -- it worked okay but it was hard to guess at what I was recording, since my head and chest don't always point in the same direction. Also, being headmounted might be better since most coaster safety bars are roughly chest level.What about visiting a museum, recording the works of art while pulling info about them on the tiny HUD?Glass does record, right? Or is it just a HUD/streaming video kind of thing?

Finally, someone has to say it -- sexytime with the tiny HUD displaying a tiny Kama Sutra.

Okay, seriously, though, I'm curious about how Glass will interact with other screens. Like, I see people doing activities with them on in videos all the time, but I've never seen anyone wearing glass while also looking at a computer monitor. It'd be nice to see Ken doing some editing work, or playing video games, or just plain watching TV with Glass on. How will it look? Will the Glass be distracting? Can you pirate shows or movies by recording them through Glass as you're watching?

I'd like to see how an interview could be done with the glasses providing on the fly information. Could you check your interviewee's information without them knowing you were searching for the information and getting it on you glass?

I think the most critical question is whether you can use these to do WORK. Can it take dictation? Can you read articles and approve them or send them back with notes? Can you read your email with them? Is the video and still photography good enough to use in articles?

More interestingly on the work side of things, is google planning to somehow index the videos and extrapolate ad serving material from what you are always looking at? Iets not forget as cool as the tech is, google's business model is serving you more ads.

Since the post-futuristic styling of GoogleGlass makes the wearer look like they're a member of seminal German electronic band Kraftwerk, it suggests Ken should borrow a 70s Moog synthesizer and perform the songs of his youth at a local bar's open mic night.

I think the point of the previews is for people who will enhance the experience in some way, not just use them in daily activities. Anyone can do that. I believe they're looking for people who will add capabilities, and unless Mr Fisher is a developer, I can't imaging he can add much in the way of enhancing the features (no offense).

I would love to see a HUD extension that could provide information on people's mood based on facial recognition. Facial recognition software could also be used to remember friend's faces and later highlight them in a crowd when you're trying to find each other.

Let's get cynical for a moment too. How about a feature that can connect to the internet, look up someone's license plate number, find their cell number, and call them so you can tell them their driving sucks. Ok, maybe all the information for this isn't publicly available but a man can dream can't he?

To be honest they seem to be an interesting gadget, without a real purpose. I would like to see how they compare to using a go pro for recording and a smartphone for reading/data. How much of a compromise are they?

I also echo the earlier poster that said a real Ars review includes driving over them at the end. :-)

-Product reviews, project logs, or in-person interviews using a Glass-eye view rather than a handheld camera. Is it better or just different? Is it say, good for "unboxing" but lousy for one-on-ones?-Do you have to consciously alter how you look at things to shoot "professional" video with the kind of quality you'd feel comfortable putting on your website on a regular basis? Can you?-As a news/social aggregator, can you use them effectively to maintain peripheral awareness of colleagues or noteworthy posts? Do you want to?-Can you use Glass to change your average-day workflow to be in front of a monitor less?-Can you use dictation/transcription software with them effectively? What about language translation?-Attending with a Glass-less secret partner, do you find yourself treated significantly differently at industry events? Every-day events?

I think the point of the previews is for people who will enhance the experience in some way, not just use them in daily activities. Anyone can do that. I believe they're looking for people who will add capabilities, and unless Mr Fisher is a developer, I can't imaging he can add much in the way of enhancing the features (no offense).

Mr. Fisher is the editor-in-chief for a tech website read by thousands (millions?) of developers and tech enthusiasts. Even if Ken somehow can't formulate ideas on his own--which is quite an assumption, given his background--he is still in the best position to enhance the experience because he can gather responses from us through his writing about it.

But yes, I also wish I were one of the chosen recipients. I didn't tweet or kick in $1500, though, so oh well.